“He’s the quarterback of their team … their leader,” Enis said. “We’ve got to jump on him.”

The teams – Tupelo (22-8) and Columbus (23-6) – who play at 6 p.m. Friday in Tupelo in an MHSAA Class 6A best-of-three state quarterfinals series, didn’t play this season. However, many of the Golden Wave players are familiar with Lee’s work on the mound.

His go-to pitch is the slider. “He throws it 80 percent of the time … and it’s a good one,” Wave pitcher/infielder Hudson Roy said. “You’ve got to know it’s coming and adjust.”

Lee is also a fast worker on the mound. “He tries to control the pace of the game,” Roy noted. “As a hitter, you’ve got to step out of the box.”

Lee’s pitching performance at Golden Wave Field in 2012 kept Tupelo out of the postseason. He helped beat the Golden Wave 2-0 in a putout game.

Enis reminded his team of that fact during his post-practice chat. He also reminded them the Falcons’ workhorse would likely pitch again if there’s a Game 3 in the series.

“The goal has to be to get him off the mound,” Wave pitcher/infielder Carter Clayton said. “The longer he’s on the mound, the longer they’re in the game.”

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday in Columbus while a Game 3, if necessary, would be played at 6 p.m. Monday in Tupelo.